the media mandala

Local news in Chicago is a very competitive environment.  With the promotional clamor to be one step ahead of the other, especially in superior picture quality, you would think broadcasters would understand the importance of streaming media on the internet.  Unfortunately, I still wonder if they really do.  With some video screens either smaller than youtube sizes, pushed to the side of visibility, or in some cases, difficult to find all together.  Other broadcasting sites have a full screen mode, but the frame rate has been lowered to where it causes discomfort or nausea in less than a minute.  Nearly all the sites read more akin to a newspaper site than a television station.  Only one station appears to get it:  ABC 7 Chicago.  Interestingly, they also happen to be the number one station in Chicago as well.  The site is laid out with video at the forefront and center of the homepage, large and easy to navigate.  They also have a great zoom feature that scales the video to a larger size and dims the rest of the page for easier viewing.  Something happens during the viewing: You actually feel like you are experiencing the television news on your computer.  Although the video has compression artifacts, which is expected in today’s high bandwidth costs, the compression is manageable to where you can read the titles to the on-air graphics and map details that are a struggle to read on smaller screens.  There is a greater user experience that draws viewers in - and even more important - does not frustrate your existing viewers who have certain expectations.  Especially when many viewers are so accustomed to full screen video on television as it has been for decades.  It is important to understand what your product is and it’s relation to your consumers and maintain it at all costs.  When you visit a newspaper site, you expect them to have current articles for reading.  When you turn to a television channel, you expect your news in a full screen video format.  Your association to any other associated product, in any form, should be as close to that product as possible.  When you can hardly find even a video stream without clicking a link, or the video is too small as in the case of some affiliates, you won’t find an audience either.  (Disclaimer:  author was a former employee of CBS 2 Chicago)